QuickSmart Mathematics Intervention Program
The QuickSmart mathematics lessons begin with a review of the focus facts, starting with those already known, and move on to those yet to be remembered. Teacher-led discussion and questioning about the relationship between number facts and ways to recall them merge into simple mathematics fact practice activities, such as Three-in-a-Row and Same Sums. These games were developed to complement each set of focus facts and allow students to review and consolidate their learning in a motivating way. Flashcards and timed performance activities, such as speed sheets, are used to assist students to develop automatic recall.
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In the last part of the lesson, students practise their skills independently on carefully selected worksheets that are closely related to the lesson content. Mathematics lessons usually conclude with a brief CAAS assessment. Both structured and incidental strategy instruction is a feature of the lessons, with the aim of moving students on from relying on slow and error-prone strategies, especially count-by-one strategies, to the use of more sophisticated and efficient strategies, including automatic recall. Once the program is established, at least one lesson a week focuses on problem-solving strategies and activities. |
Structure of QuickSmart Mathematics Intervention Session
QuickSmart mathematics intervention strategies include a variety of short, focused activities that aim to increase students' strategy use and improve their automatic recall of basic number facts across all four operations. Mathematics intervention sessions include:
- timed recall of basic number facts from a targeted set of focus number facts;
- speed sheets that also relate to the same set of focus facts and include extension number facts;
- opportunities to consolidate the use of strategies for calculating number facts;
- the use of a prompt scaffold to solve mathematical problems and establish knowledge of problem-solving routines; and
- regular testing on tasks from the CAAS bank of mathematical tasks.
